Whether you are a frequent traveler like I am or you know someone who is always on the road, staying connected is a crucial part of life these days. Many of us travel with a smartphone like an iPhone, Android, or Blackberry as well as an iPad, and even a laptop. But for long haul flights, meetings, or conferences, we all know that our devices can drain quickly, especially our smartphones. There’s nothing worse than realizing your battery is almost completely drained except maybe forgetting to charge your phone before you leave the house. Now that is when I usually feel like banging my head against a wall.
The nice folks over at Duracell were kind enough to send me a sample of their Instant Charger. This is a compact single solution for instant power for multiple devices. It instantly works with Blackberrys, iPods, and most cell phones. The best part is that it provides up to 35 hours of extra power. Who wouldn’t want instant charging power while on the go? As the number of device features increase, the need for additional battery power is growing. The Instant Charger fits any mini-USB device, including many digital cameras. It also offers a universal USB port for use with proprietary device cords such as Apple products and/or micro-USB phones.
With a suggested retail price of just $29.99, the Duracell Instant Charger is an affordable option for staying connected while traveling. Available at mass merchandisers, drug, and hardware stores nationwide, you’ll want to pick up one or more for all the people on your list this holiday season.
How did it work? While I fully anticipated being able to charge my iPhone completely with the flip of the switch, I neglected to read the instructions the first time I used it and well, it only charged my iPhone for a few minutes. It clearly states in the instructions to charge the unit completely first before using it. It has a little on and off switch and the indicator light changes from red to green when it is fully charged. I plugged it into my USB port and charged it and then all I had to do was slip it in my bag and take it with me.
From there all I needed was to charge my Apple cord into the other end of the Instant Charger. Sounds simple enough, but it ends up being a little bulkier than I would have liked. Yes, I could have left the charging cord (the black one) off, but then I would have to remember which one was the correct one for the device in my bag of tricks with a million other power cords. When all I had left on my iPhone was 34% power, I charged my phone for an hour and I was at 57% power. Granted, I was also using my phone, which also affected the results, but I used the product as I normally would, which is that I am always on my iPhone. As long as you understand that this is not a rapid charger, but is instead for charging your device so it doesn’t completely go dead, then you’ll be good to go.
Pros: I liked that it is small, affordably priced, it can charge a variety of devices, and charges off the USB port of my computer.
Cons: Although small out of the package, with my Apple cord it becomes somewhat bulky and doesn’t charge as quickly as I might need a charge.
Overall, the Duracell Instant Charger is a great little device that can be aback up plan for anyone needing a surefire way to keep their device charged, whether you are a light or heavy user. The Duracell Instant Charger will give you enough of a charge to prevent your device from dying entirely and that is certainly a plus for this frequent traveler.